2015 Instructor of Year Contest

2015 Instructor of Year Contest

Instructor of the Year Contest!

Here at the Flow Arts Institute, we value quality instruction. Each FAI festival nominated up to 5 Instructors that taught in 2015 and were regional or specific to their fest. All previous Instructors of the Month for 2015 received a default nomination.The instructors then compiled their materials pulling together the best tutorials and flow videos they could find to present to you insight into why and how they’re amazing. The instructors are grouped by the festivals that nominated them in tabs below.

How do I vote?

You can vote for 1 instructor per festival/category which gives you a total of 7 votes. One for each festival and FAI nominees. However, you can only vote once in each category and can’t change your mind, so make it count!

How long is voting open?

Voting will be open from 9am Wednesday, December 23rd 2015 until midnight the following Sunday, January 3rd, 2016 12pm PST. This gives everyone a week to get their votes in and make them count.

How is the Winner calculated?

Whomever receives the most votes in total will be deemed the Flow Arts Institute 2015 Instructor of the Year.

What if I didn’t go to all the fests?

That’s ok! You can still vote if you feel that an instructor provides value to you.

What will the winner receive?

The winner will receive a ticket to all 6 2016 FAI festivals across the country, the opportunity to teach at all of them, and a small travel stipend.

Why do I vote for an instructor for every festival if there is only one winner?

We thought this would make it easier for you to vote and give an opportunity to review more of the instructors as well as see a little bit of each festival’s unique personality.

I can teach people how to identify their own glitch points, breaking moves into sections for faster progress. No one is immune to my powers! Want to learn 15 minute fishtails? Come look at my diagram. Science for the win!

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I am the Cofounder of Ninja Pyrate (fire and glow props) as well as The Floasis Brooklyn, and soon to be The Floasis Atlanta.

My secret power is my imagination and creativity, both of which are derived mainly from passion and refusal to be bored, My other secret power is to inspire people to think differently ,about fans in particular, which causes may cause a desire for me to teach Then when I teach, I try to teach creativity and imagination… bringing it full circle

my other secret is practice…..

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I am an independent contractor specializing in stamped and decorative concrete finishing

What are your main classes?

Sliding, Stacking, and Folding 2.0 Beginner/intermediate | A lot of tech can be found with these three simple theories. This class will explain the differences between Sliding, Stacking, and Folding, and how they can be used to your advantage while spinning. After we have gone over these concepts the next part of the class will be to work on using these concepts as a transition tool in your spinning. We will work as a group on making some simple variations as well as small sequences to help integrate stacking into your personal flow. This class is ideal for all tech-interested spinners, both new and experienced. There is something here for everyone!

Body Tracing With Fans Intermediate | Body tracers, even or maybe especially with fans, can be one of the most fun illusions to play with and a good way to incorporate movement into your spinning for both tech spinners and dancers alike. We will go over some simple ideas and basic fundamentals and explain how body tracing works. After we have gotten the feel for what we are doing, we will work on a few simple drills and variations that will have you well on your way to mastering body tracers and incorporating them into your own style and flow.

The Geometry of Fans (begginer – advanced) | Lets take a look at Fans from a different angle. Here, we dig a little bit deeper into the tech fan world and start giving it some definition. This is a class not just for the fan spinner trying to learn new tech, this is a good class for spinners of all props to come and see first hand how their prop translates to or from fans! First thing we will go through are all the different core relations for fans (X,S,O, etc). These will be our basic building blocks for this class. Next, we will go through some various grids and handpaths that are very translatable from other props and see what geometry will look like from a fan point of view. Lastly, we will go through and define the differences in hand positioning through all of these ideas. This isn’t a class your not going to want to miss!

Deep in the heart of Nova Laboratories, a young intern by the name of Ben Drexler was accidentally exposed to fantastic cosmic energies that, in the hands of a mightier person, would have given him powers beyond comprehension. Unfortunately, Ben instead wound up with the power to transform beautiful poi movement into overly verbose and utterly incomprehensible jargon. Taking his transformation to heart, this mild-mannered intern now know as “Drex” traveled the world, eradicating evil by boring to death before retiring to the fire festival circuit. Here, he has at last found a home for his power by spending his days among people who actually give a damn what the words polyrhythmic antibrid mean…god help them all.

In my life before being a flow artist, I was a programmer, musician, human rights activist, designer, writer, and comic book artist.

What are your main classes?

Title: Fundamentals of Tech, Part 1

Description: This class is centered around demystifying tech both by focusing on the movement over the jargon as well as building up to complex movements based upon smaller and easier ones–students learn everything from basic antispins to Zan’s Diamond!

Title: The Art of Prop Performance

Description: This class applies many of the lessons I’ve learned in the modern dance world over the course of the past three years to make performances with any prop move beyond trick showcases to statements by the choreographer. Come learn to tell a story or share an idea through your craft!

Title: Intro to Sticky Hybrids

Description: Explore my favorite type of poi tricks–antibrids! These tricks result when you create a relationship between one hand and the opposite poi, resulting in tricks like isolation vs cateye, static vs triquetra, and many more!

Haha I dunno I do performing full time now. So I guess I’m a bum? Haha.

What are your main classes?

Starting as a Wizard : Beginner’s Short String Levitation WandDiscover the magical art of the levitation wand and become a wizard! More than being a mesmerizing prop that seems to be floating or suspended in space, this flow art is proving to be a balance of flowful body movement and technical play.

Starting with the Levitation Wand

Basic Spinning Concepts and Techniques

Dance Integration

Expanding Your Powers: Intro to Long String Levitation WandExpand your powers and explore more possibilities with the long string levitation wand! Discover different ways to move around with the longer string that allows for more technical string configurations while keeping your movements free and magical.

Starting with the Long String – String Length and Anchors

Controlling the Wand and the String

“Firechill” Configurations and Techniques

Flow Acrobatics: Cartwheels, Jumps, and Turns with your Propof moves – he has discovered different techniques of applying acrobatic moves with different props. In the workshop, participants are taught how to open up planes and vectors to allow for these amazing power moves to be executed with various props.

Listening. I often can see how a person’s passion, talents and skills could unfold and I feed where I think they are going with it. As a performer, my secret power is tapping into a primal state… like an animal..but a ninja!

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I am a music composer, poet, philosopher and dad.

What are your main classes?

Nunchaku Basics:

Bruce lee would be proud of this one. We’re taking the art of nunchaku and turning it into a stylistic performance art.

Accentuation / Performance Class:

Accentuation class teaches flow artists to look beyond their hands. The goal is to make their body, movement, emotions and thoughts as expressive as their patterns that they make with their props. This is often a fire festival favorite.

Ninja Staff Spinning:

Perhaps the opposite of contact staff, ninja staff spinning focuses on creating whirlwind motions in footwork and staff spinning. The goal is complete freedom of movement while creating rapid and fluid patterns.

Listening. I often can see how a person’s passion, talents and skills could unfold and I feed where I think they are going with it.My secret power is a relentless commitment to maintaining motivation as a closet spinner. While sharing and performance have their value, i find the most joy in spinning and juggling as a form of meditation, best taken in giant gulps alone in nature. 🙂

I try to share this with others, implicitly or explicitly.

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I’m a photographer, designer, and web developer. I do a million other things, and love the various flavors that life can bring. Jack of all trades is an honorable title in my opinion.

What are your main classes?

People are more eager than ever to learn No-beat tosses for poi.

No beats – how to do them, the finesse in technique, progressions of tricks, and frameworks/notation for limitless explorations.

‘let go of your poi’ – the world of tossing is endless. with this workshop we race in all directions to see if we can approach the limits of what is possible. define a variable, define another, multiply and permute!

Additional Teaching: Lots of juggling festivals! 🙂 EJC was a hoot…so many people eager to learn.

My super power is the mamba mentality, having tenacity as its core train of thought. Persistence has allowed me to self teach myself ropedart, through this I gained confidence, the confidence to share my passion with others, old and young alike. Through this process I have never taken no for an answer allowing myself to teach poi programs at elementary schools. With this new sense of leadership I was able to progress my life and become an anesthesia technician aka a ninja medic!

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

Andres Trevino Certified Anesthesia Technician

What are your main classes?

Releasing Your Inner Ninja: An Introduction to Ropedart
This rope dart class will cover the fundamental basics for ropedart- we will cover neck, shoulder, arm, elbow and leg wraps. We will also explore shots and other illusions. In addition we will explore the flow state by learning to breathe and move in a synchronized fashion. The class will end with a conversation about flow and the potential for transformation, so that people may become conscious of that inner ninja that we all carry within.

Techdart (Intermediate): My workshop will cover tech dart principles translated from tech poi/ Vulcan tech gospel manipulations with emphasis on flowers and stalls/extensions. We also will be covering diamond and box theory for dartists, while exploring multiple planes/ plane bending. Basic dart and poi concepts will be revisited and modified to this tech style.

Contact Dart (Intermediate): My workshop will cover basic contact dart principles. Just to specify, contact dart is a hands free style of spinning rope dart with an emphasis on maintaining contact with the rope and a variety of your joints in order to control the motion. Basic dart concepts will be revisited and translated into this advanced variation of dart.

Empathetic Embodiment of the Change that the Learner wants to See in Themselves.

I model learning for learners, radiating interest, openness and confidence. As I learn about their skills, personality, needs and interests, I demonstrate adaptation by differentiating instruction and meeting them where they are as spinners.

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

University Relations coordinator

What are your main classes?

Fan Throws : Learn to throw your fans! Featuring accessible material for all levels, from the basics to more advanced combinations.

Partner Fans: 3- and 4-Beat Weaves :: Learn to share space and move around a partner with 3- and 4-beat weaves with fans.

Partner Fan Dance Tech :: A healthy dose of partner fan tech combined with presentation elements such as footwork, levels, sharing space, and integrating it all into dance to create beautiful patterns with partners.

What’s my secret? My open-minded weirdness of course! I open up the floor and welcome all those that surround me to be the best weird they can be! I love to encourage the self conscious to express their inner freak and not feel ashamed of it. My teaching methods vary from audience to audience, because well everyone learns in different ways, and I always aim to ensure that my students are taking the learning lesson home with them to continue practicing on their own.

In terms of flow: If I’m 100% connected with my prop, then who cares what others think I look like?

I aspire to inspire the world to express themselves entirely.

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I’m a Jane of all trades. A diligent worker in many service industry fields, but my favorite ‘muggle’ alias is always being a nanny. The innocent creativity seeping out the children’s pores fuels my drive in turning this world into a less self-doubting place.

What are your main classes?

Unleash Your Dancing Spirit: Based on the belief that everyone can dance and that it comes from within no matter how much experience or exposure one has. This class also aims to help dancers add texture and variations to their moves. Dance /Movement.

Space Exploration: Based on the belief that the entire world, its contents and all, is our dance floor (stage). & that the empty or ‘negative’ space around us is absolutely usable in our dance. Dance /Movement.

The Absolute Beginner’s Hoop Guide: This class aims to provide the absolute hooping beginner enough material to continue their own journey at home. I explain terminology, planes, basic tricks of the trades, and the advice many ‘OG’ hoopers wish they had known when starting.

In terms of teaching, I’m a big dork who likes math and puppets: normally this combination is horrifying, but somehow I think it works. A lot of things are jerks who want to crap all over your day (the fabric, gravity, physics in general) and you just have to outsmart them.

When I perform in the air, I gravitate toward strong emotional pieces with weird elbowy body shapes. When I perform on the ground I’m usually a really really dumb clown. (REALLY dumb)

Students apply the principles of torque, moment of inertia, and angular momentum to spinning and orbiting movement to improve the look, integrity, and ease of spinning skills.

Fabric/Rope Drop Development

Advanced students learn methods for creating and safely testing their own variations on common drops, then create brand new drops that are uniquely theirs.

Hip Circle Technique

Students study each part of the hip circle rotation and learn how momentum is gained, then perform a progression of drills that leads them to clean and reliable hip circles while minimizing discomfort.

Thank you A THOUSAND thank yous to the staff and everyone who attended Campfire this year. I had to leave the festival for a few hours to go to my first appointment at the Mayo Clinic where I later had a grapefruit-sized tumor cut out of my belly. Teaching, performing, and connecting with all the lovely people at the festival kept me a little more sane than I would have been. I love you fantastic people!!!

My secret power is having a ton of somewhat obsessive energy to burn and a passion for growth- the growth of myself, my community, expression, society, and the world. I am excited about all forward progress, and because of that, I work hard to ensure I don’t get in my own way. I see this benefitting my teaching, performance, practice, and business. The less shitty I am, the more effectively I can help everyone else become less shitty!

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I suppose in the way of a “day job,” performing is what makes the most money for me each year. So I guess I don’t really have a Clark Kent, I’m just always Superman….YES, childhood dreams achieved! (No one told me about the crippling periods of self doubt though, wtf)

I figured out how to harness the power of creative visualization in order to allow myself (and others) to practice at times that they used to see as wasted time. Additionally, I have mapped out 8 Step CAPs into a chart that can be read and translated to any double props.

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

Definitely nothing as cool as being a Science teacher, I make pizzas at my local Pizza Hut. It’s still really fun though because I can toss dough and juggle the cheese cups and quality rings.

What are your main classes?

8 Step CAPs

An 8 Step CAP is a complex pattern that can be done with most double props. This workshop aims to teach you the handpaths of these 8 step CAPs so you are able to read, write, and understand the inner workings of an 8 step CAP. With this knowledge it should not be difficult to translate these patterns to the prop of your choice.

Diabolo 101

An introductory course on a not-so-common prop. Participants don’t need their own props as I have extras. By the end of the workshop you’ll be wanting one of your own though because you’ll know how to get it started on the string and how to do a few cool tricks!

How to Spin Nothing

This workshop channels the power of creative visualization to help you refine your techniques at… well… just about anything. While we will focus on using this to better our flow artistry, the same principle can be applied to just about any area of your life that requires practice. I can’t tell you too much, otherwise you wouldn’t need the workshop. See you there!

Additional Teaching: Let me start by saying that the classes I taught at Kinetic Fire were renegade classes, just in case you intended on looking at the lineup to find me. Flow Motion Chiller, The Spin Summit, PlayThink, So Ill Flow, Hyperion, Flow Camp, Mo Flow, Flow Motion Symposium

My best secret power is being a professional hippie cat wrangler! For real… this power is magical!

My second is pure passion and creativity!

Third… I always wear a watch. Seriously, nobody ever knows what time it is!

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

When I am home I am a Certified Nursing Assistant in a short term rehabilitation company for senior recoveries after surgeries or other needs. I am also a certified Medical Assistant, Phlebotomist, and EKG Technician.

When I don’t have my big girl pants on at home I’m an artist of costuming, hair, makeup, and jewelry! 🙂

What are your main classes?

What the Weave, Fan? – A Beginner/Intermediate Class of exploration of all the different weaves you can do and then putting then together.

Dancing With Your Fans 360 Style – An Intermediate Class of multiple moves you can do while turning in a 360 circle to allow more dance movement.

FAN-cy Combos! – An all level class where I break down my personal favorite combo of moves!

Fahrenheit Flow Arts Nominees

Bringing others to a (my) state of flow through observation/osmosis. It seems that being near me helps others to get the thing they’re trying to do 🙂

Empowering others to know they can do what I’m doing with practice

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

Gina M. is a manager of operations for a Mohana Designs, as well as the founder/manager of GoFlow, a youth development through flow arts program, in Asheville, NC.

What are your main classes?

Tech Fan Shenanigans- This class is based off of a piece of choreography which includes many of my favorite techniques, as well as movement combinations I use often. The intention with this is to encourage the focus on transition theory.

Melty Fans – Moving through snakes and tracers is one of my favorite things to do due to the endless possibilities from it.. In this class we’ll review practice & stretching techniques for snakes and meltdowns. We’re going to discuss fold theory and how it relates to fans, as well as the larger shape we’re creating and how to move through it from snakes flowers via reels.

Geometry & Tech Philosophy – In this discussion based workshop, we’ll look at the similarities between the vitruvian man, the platonic solids, and the flower of life. Exploring these relationships has been the key to my understanding of the fundamental shapes I use in ‘tech’ manipulation.

Additional Teaching: PEX Festival, YMCA Enrichment Program of WNC, Francine Delaney Day School for Children

Emotional Clarity Practice – No-prop workshop in which participants sit in a circle and play games aimed at a more clear understanding of the physical experience of emotions. “Tech Feelings Affinity Group”

Additional Teaching: While I didn’t receive teaching slots at Flame or Kinetic this past year, I did teach at Flame 2013, and I offered impromptu assistance to classes at Flame 2014 and ’15, and Kinetic 2012, ’14, and ’15. Wildfire Retreat, Return to Roots Gathering

Bringing other’s latent powers to the surface. I find one of my greatest secret powers is the ability to get others to open up and look inside themselves to see what they might be able to do. My inner superhero activates the inner superhero of those around me!
I’m also always just in time for dinner.

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

Master of nothing.

What are your main classes?

Intro to double staff flow – For 4 seasons now I have used this class as a means to help bring flow to a prop I consider to be incredibly tech heavy. A great class for beginners of all kinds.

VTG: Speaking in sentences – This is my baby. I love this class. Focused on taking the 4 1:1 vtg patterns and moving them around different planes, modes and more. leaving with over 2000 patterns.

Laughter Yoga – Not a traditional flow arts class. An exercise in laughing for no reason. This practice has helped decrease anxiety and increase happiness in countless lives.

I have the ability to transform into an excited and playful child. This brings joy, laughter and playfulness to all around me. Frustration and apathy disappear as people get re-infused with child-like creative energy and fun.

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

Circus Teacher and Performer.

What are your main classes?

Head to Toe: Full Body Contact Staff

In this workshop we explore pathways where the staff travels down the full body. We will work upwards starting with drills for the feet and legs, breaking down the parts of longer pathways. This class helps you understand the lower body pathways the way we do the upper body and how to link them together.

Staff Dance

This workshop will cover the building blocks of staff spinning as well as basic contact. We will not only learn different ways to move the staff around your body like anti-spin, extension etc., we will also explore how to move our bodies through space with our prop. We will explore stances, footwork and turning. This workshop will give you the tools to have freer movement, clean transitions and use your whole body.

Additional Teaching: Mad Skillz Vancouver, The European Juggling Convention, The Oregon Country Fair, Portland Public Schools, North West Regional Libraries.

Tyler has been incredibly influential and widely respected within the Flow Arts across the country. Both FLAME and Campfire wanted to nominate him to represent their festivals. However, Pacific Fire Gathering is his home festival and reserved first bid for his nomination.

What’s your secret power?

Fire Ninja Skillz!

I was trained by the great masters of Mt. Angelroll as a young boy and raised to be a powerful ninja of the forest.

I use my powers to do good; inspiring and encouraging other potential ninjas everywhere I travel.

If your heart is true and your intentions are pure, I will train you in the great art of FLOWWWWW.

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I’m always in the FLOW!

I chose my path as a PROFESSIONAL FIRE DANCER which earns me just about enough money to go to Burning Man and eat burritos.

I’ve worked in video production all my life, but have focused primarily on teaching and performing in the last year.

I’m excited to also be continuing my career as a circus activist this January in INDIA with Performers Without Borders on a 4-month tour teaching disadvantaged kids circus arts!

When I’m teaching or performing…Leviwand is all just water bending! It’s all about that push and pull with your body and your prop.

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I am a specialty pharmacy technician. I work with Hiv, Hep C, soft organ transplants, oncology, and children with Cystic Fibrosis.

What are your main classes?

Get Tricky With It: This is a class that gets you ready for the more intense Leviwand tech to come. I break down the basic Contact Wand moves and string manipulation.

Leviwand Isolations: This class goes over many isolation variations. We start with palm isolations, then floating isolations, split string isolations, we will touch into antispin into isolations, and end with floating CAPS.

Contact Wand 101: In this class I will throw you head on into Contact Wand. I’ll go over arm rolls, halo rolls, balance points, all Teeter-Totter variations, slides, and the five point contact combo.

I think if I had to choose something it would be getting somewhere even though my funds aren’t the best, and making the whole thing work on a budget and having the best time of my life. Word how you may :3

When you aren’t a flow super hero, what is your Clark Kent alias?

I work as a freelance designer and at a local tee shirt shop dedicated to the love of our city (Akron) and I am also responsible for their social media marketing.

What are your main classes?

Mini Technicality – In this Advanced mini hoop workshop we will discuss a variety of Pendulums, Hybrids, 1.5 beats weaves, isolations, flower variations and a variety of transitions to work them into your flow.https://youtu.be/deuGEKFHcmw

Multi Mini Manipulation – In this intermediate course We will discuss a variety of concepts of manipulation and tech vs illusion. Among giving fundamentals of 3 and 4 mini hoop manipulation, to begin fooling the eye on your own!http://youtu.be/vRRuyATnM6Y

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Poppe hails from Bloomington, IN where she is an active member in the flow arts community through helping to organize local events, choreograph routines, perform, teach, and mentor.
When she isn't spinning a prop or doing acrobatics, she does web design and development, social media, and content strategy. She hopes to use these skills to help elevate flow artists, the community, and the craft.